Zhuravlyov Vitaliy Vladimirovich

At the end of June 2024, a criminal case was initiated in the city of Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan Region, for repeated "discrediting the army" against 43-year-old local resident Vitaly Zhuravlev. The reason for the criminal prosecution was a comment on VKontakte criticizing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which the man allegedly left in the community "Delovoy Akhtubinsk. Earlier, in December 2023, the Akhtubinsk District Court of the Astrakhan Region fined Zhuravlyov under an administrative offense case under the article on "discrediting the army" due to a publication of a photograph of Putin with the caption "Za idiots, without you I wouldn't exist." The man was placed under a non-leave obligation for the duration of the investigation. On December 17, 2024, the Akhtubinsk City Court of the Astrakhan Region found Vitaly Zhuravlyov guilty and sentenced him to two years of imprisonment in a general regime colony. The court also banned Zhuravlev from administering websites for two years, and his phone was confiscated for the state's benefit. The man was taken into custody in the courtroom. On February 20, 2025, the Astrakhan Regional Court left the verdict unchanged. At the same time, in February 2025, an investigator with a lawyer came to the pre-trial detention center where Zhuravlyov was held and acquainted the man with a new criminal case about repeated "discrediting of the army. The reason for the persecution was an anti-war picture on VKontakte, published on February 24, 2022. On 21 May 2025, the Akhtubinsk District Court of the Astrakhan Region found Vitaly Zhuravlyov guilty and, in combination with the first sentence, sentenced him to 2.5 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony. The court also banned the man from administering websites on the internet for 2.5 years. The verdict was not appealed and entered into legal force. At the end of October 2025, a third criminal case was initiated against Zhuravlyov for repeated "discrediting" of the Russian army. This time, the reason for the criminal prosecution was a joke published as a comment to a post on social networks. According to the investigation, the man posted a political anecdote in the comments in the group "Akhtubinsk knows" on the social network "VKontakte. The investigation considered that this comment contained negative information about the actions of Russian military personnel towards their own citizens, thereby discrediting the goals of using the army and undermining its authority. During the investigation, the man was taken out of the colony in Kirovo-Chepetsk, where he was serving his sentence, to the pre-trial detention center in Astrakhan. On December 19, 2025, the Akhtubinsk District Court of the Astrakhan Region found Vitaliy Zhuravlyov guilty and sentenced him to 2 years 8 months of imprisonment in a general regime correctional colony. He was also banned from engaging in activities related to administering websites and groups on social networks for 3 years. The verdict was not appealed and entered into legal force.